


World serves its own needs, dummy serve your own needs

by Book_Junkie007



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Clint and Natasha's first meeting, Gen, Mild Language, Minor Violence, Natasha Joins SHIELD, Natasha's first solo mission, Rotating POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-08
Updated: 2013-01-11
Packaged: 2017-11-11 16:39:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 2,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/480617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Book_Junkie007/pseuds/Book_Junkie007
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of twelve ~200 word drabbles rotating from Clint, Coulson, and Natasha's points of view detailing the events of Natasha's recruitment into SHIELD up to her first solo mission.</p>
<p>Written for be_compromised's <a href="http://be-compromised.livejournal.com/60569.html">Promptathon</a> for a series of prompts. Each espionage definition is referred to in some way in the drabble.</p>
<p>Thanks goes to some1tookmename on Twitter for doing a grammar and flow check and Laffers18 on Twitter for making sure they're in character.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Swallow

_SWALLOW: Russian intelligence term for a female agent used for sexual entrapment in a “honey trap” operation._

Clint watches from the rooftop as his mark enters the dinner party; one he would never have been invited to, due to his background and lack of money, compared to the people who had been invited. She’s in a deep blue gown and she has brunette hair, although he knows from her file that she’s a natural red head. _Maybe it’s a wig,_ he muses, not that her hair color matters: she’s always lethal, always a dangerous weapon.

He observes her moving around the room, going up to certain men, appearing to talk to them and laughing when they say something to her. She eventually appears to whisper something in their ear, and Clint watches as they exit through a side door and move into the shadows, apparently waiting for her. He’s not surprised that they do what she asks without a second thought. Hell, he would probably do the same thing if asked, if he didn’t know who she was. If a beautiful woman asked something of him, he would make sure it happened, and damn the consequences. He figures these are her marks, but they have nothing to do with his mission of taking the Black Widow out.


	2. Cold Approach

_COLD APPROACH: An often-risky attempt to recruit a foreign national as an agent or informer without any prior indication that the person might be receptive to such an offer. Usually made after evidence that the target is in desperate need of money, or is simply greedy or perhaps unhappy in his/her work or lifestyle._

Clint watches as the Widow comes out of the party, after having sent all her marks outside, goes up to the first man who was waiting for her, and slits his throat with a knife from a thigh holster. She repeats the gesture with the second man, third man, fourth man, until they all lie at her feet. Clint hasn’t heard her make a sound the entire time, and knows she wouldn’t have anyway. She’s much too professional for that. After she’s finished with the last man, she wipes her hands off on a wet wipe from her purse, and appears to sink into herself.

Clint knows that look, it’s the same look he had after he’d realised that no matter how many people he’d killed as a soldier, there was always going to be more that needed killing. SHIELD had been the one to find him then, offering him a job utilizing his archery skills from the circus. They had prevented him from going the same way as his father, and he was thankful for it. Watching her some more, as she appears to be indecisive about whether she wanted to go back to the party or slip into the night, he makes a decision. He’ll give her a second chance.


	3. Moscow Rules

_MOSCOW RULES: The ultimate tradecraft methods developed for use in the most hostile of the operational environments. During the Cold War, Moscow was considered to be the most difficult of the operating environments._

Coulson’s one of the best SHIELD agents, and he knows it. Sure, he’s worked in administration for the past several years, but he’s still able to kick some ass if need be. He uses the Moscow rules of always following his gut, blending in with his dark suits, and keeping his options open when it comes to agents calling in with complications to the mission. He’s also been the handler of Clint Barton for the past several years, since Barton was recruited, which may have made a lesser man break. So, when Barton calls in from the field with different news than he expected, he’s a bit thrown.

“Target was not eliminated, sir,” Barton says. “I made a different call.”

Coulson thinks over all his options. “Why would you do that?”

“She needed it, sir,” he replies. “She is also requesting a meeting with you, in the place of her choice.”

“Barton, you know it’s against protocols to meet an enemy agent, especially a senior agent.”

“I know, sir, but she was very persuasive.” Coulson thought he could hear a bit of a smile in Barton’s voice.

Coulson hesitates.

“I’ll be keeping watch,” Barton reassures him. “Here are the coordinates...”


	4. Blind Date

_BLIND DATE: A meeting by an intelligence officer with an agent at the time and place of the agent’s choosing. These are potentially dangerous, as the officer could be set up for capture or an attempt be made to “turn” him/her._

Coulson walks into the abandoned warehouse, which is a bit cliché, after checking all the exits and alley ways for the possibility of an ambush. Barton’s also stationed on a nearby roof, making sure the conversation goes down as expected and no surprises occur. He stands in the middle of the open plan main floor, waiting.

“I didn’t expect you to come,” a female voice says from behind him. He carefully turns around to face her.

“Barton assured me you were no threat,” Coulson says, looking at her. She has on a deep blue gown, her red hair glowing like a flame in the sunlight.

She chuckles. “The Black Widow is always a threat. Barton’s a fool.”

“He has his moments,” Coulson agrees. “You wanted to ask me something?”

“Barton said that you could recruit me,” she walks slowly forward. Coulson keeps track of her movements.

“What asset could you be to SHIELD? You’ve taken out many of our agents. Why the change of heart?”

“I’ve come to realise I have red in my ledger, and you could help me to make it right.”

“You have to talk to Director Fury. What’s your real name?”

She pauses. “Natalia Alianovna Romanova.”


	5. Walk In

_WALK IN: A defector who declares his/her intentions by walking into an official installation and asking for political asylum or volunteering to work in place._

Natalia Alianovna Romanova walks through the halls of SHIELD; Clint Barton, who had been the one following her for the past year, beside her. She still isn’t quite sure why she’s with him, why she hadn’t slit his throat before walking away; she’d let him talk as he’s just as skilled as she is. Her contacts had given her information on Hawkeye, which had maybe influenced her perception of him. He’s nothing like she’d expected. She thought he would be more professional, not a smart ass like he obviously thought he was. Still, he’d given her a choice, which she’s thankful for.

She doesn’t bother knocking when she reaches Director Fury’s door. Instead, she strides right in. Fury, to his credit, doesn’t raise an eyebrow at her presence, merely finishes his phone call, leaving her standing there to wait. She isn’t used to waiting when she comes into a room. It’s a different feeling, and maybe a welcome one. She may be treated the same as the other agents, provided that Fury offers her a job.

Fury sets down the phone. “How may I help you?”

Natalia Alianovna Romanova begins, “My name’s Natalia Alianovna Romanova, I would like a job...”


	6. Pattern

_PATTERN: The behavior and daily routine of an operative that makes his/her identity unique._

Natalia Alianovna Romanova, no, Natasha Romanoff, she corrects herself, looks around the room which had been assigned to her at SHIELD. She’s not surprised that Fury had offered her a job at SHIELD, not after she had outlined the full extent of her resume, which had been previously known only to her. The only stipulation was that, for the moment, she was on probation until a time which Director Fury deemed suitable. It meant she’d have a backup team with her at all times, as well as Clint Barton, who had vouched for her, just in case she went rogue and they had to quickly take her down. _Not that they would be able to easily,_ she thought. She’s the best (ex-)KGB agent out there, and no one compares to her.

Natasha Romanoff is the latest identity she’s taken on, but one she feels comfortable with. She’s changed her name so many times, has been unmade and remade by others, and has so much blood on her hands that it’s nice to become someone else. With Natasha Romanoff, a name that _she_ chose, not one chosen _for_ her, she’ll be able to start balancing the red in her ledger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was posted on my LJ on Friday, but I was camping, so I couldn't post it here. The next chapter will be posted shortly.


	7. Sucking Dry

_SUCKING DRY: Russian term for the prolonged debriefing of an agent following an operation._

Clint walks out of the debriefing with Coulson and Fury feeling like he’d been through the wringer, or had just done a particularly difficult trapeze routine. Coulson and Fury had tag-teamed him in their objections to his offering the Widow a choice to join SHIELD, but he’d stood firm in his decision to recruit her. He believes that the Widow could be an asset, and will keep repeating it until his hunch is proved correct.

As Clint walks down the hall, he senses that someone is behind him. He turns and sees Black Widow. “Hello,” he says. “How was your meeting with Fury?”

She appears to think for a moment. “Acceptable. He’s agreed to take me on as an agent.”

“Cool. What’s your code name?”

“I’ve kept my code name of Black Widow, but I’ve decided to change my name to Natasha Romanoff. New organization, new start. Did Fury and Coulson suck you dry?”

“Suck me dry?” Clint’s confused.

“Sorry. It’s a Russian term. It means you had a prolonged debriefing.”

Clint contemplates this. “Sounds about right. Have you been shown the cafeteria yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Oh, you’re in for a treat. It’s the best substandard food available...”


	8. Angel

_ANGEL: Slang used by intelligence officers for a member of an opposing service._

Clint looks up from his food as another agent sits down across from him.

“Dobbes,” he says with a nod.

“Barton,” he responds. He looks to Clint’s left and right, seeming to search for someone. “Where’s your recruit?”

“Not here,” he takes a bite of his slightly disgusting sandwich. He hadn’t been kidding Natasha when he’d told her the food was substandard here. He’d been slightly impressed that she’d eaten the food without complaint, considering the number of high class missions he’d read in her file.

Natasha had finished her food and had left to go to a debriefing with Fury, and to fill out the paperwork required to become an official agent of SHIELD. She had also told Clint she was being requested to have an official medical examination, to make sure she was fit for duty, and that there wasn’t anything hiding in her body that would come back to bite them in the ass later.

“Good,” Dobbes leans forward, “because I’m slightly concerned about her, and you.”

“Why?”

“She’s deadly like fire. I don’t want to see you burned. How do you know she’s not going to kill you in your bed?”

“I just do.”

Dobbes snorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put this on timed updates on my LJ, so I'm really behind on cross-posting. Just be patient, it'll be up shortly. :)


	9. Blacklist

_BLACKLIST: Counter-intelligence listing of hostile collaborators, suspects, sympathizers, or politicians viewed as threatening the security of a nation or its allies._

Coulson looks at the small mountain of paper on his desk. Natasha had willingly given them information on all the major players in her past operations, whether they were her targets or her employers, right down to their nighttime routines and what they did (or didn’t) wear to bed. It was more than they’d expected, as Fury had put her on probation without asking for anything else from her. Fury trusted Barton’s instincts, they both did, but Fury was still going to be cautious when it came to an unknown new agent, especially one who had worked for the other side.

This wealth of intelligence was willingly given, a gesture of goodwill, and her own choice. It has also given him a lot more work, not that he’s complaining. Analyzing and sorting through this data is going to be his job. He won’t give this information to anyone else until he’s sorted through it. Coulson suspects that she hasn’t been able to make her own decisions very often in her past life, even if there was a facade of her being able to choose her missions, choose her targets.

He mentally wishes her well at her new career at SHIELD.


	10. Legend

_LEGEND (cover): The complete cover story developed for an operation._

Coulson looks up from the cover he’s working on when he hears a knock on his office door.

“Come in,” he calls.

Clint slides into the room having not opened the door any further than necessary. “Hello, sir.”

“Barton,” Coulson nods. “What would you like to speak to me about?”

“This mission, sir.” Coulson watches as Clint relaxes into a chair in front of his desk.

“What about it?”

“I find it disappointing that this is her first mission with just me as her assistance. She was ready for solo missions six months ago. Hell, she was ready for solo missions when she first joined SHIELD. She didn’t have to be put on probation for eighteen months, or to have a team behind her to make sure she didn’t screw up.”

“I understand your concerns, Agent, but it was Fury’s decision to put her on probation for this long. We had to be sure.”

Clint leans forward. “How sure did you have to be? How does putting her on probation guarantee her not going to turn against us? She could have rebelled against SHIELD on the first night, but she didn’t.”

“I understand your concerns, but that doesn’t change things.”


	11. Naked

_NAKED: Operating entirely alone and without the availability of immediate assistance._

Natasha unpacks her bag at the safe house. She lays her clothes neatly out on the bed, beside her weapons, which she has placed in order of size and lethalness. Clint is doing the same thing on the opposite side of the bed.

“So, our first solo mission,” she says, aligning her weapons just right.

“Yep, and it was long overdue.”

Natasha looks up at Clint. “You think we should have been sent out solo earlier?”

“Way earlier,” Clint affirms. “I thought you were ready to go solo when you came in. Fury and Coulson had other ideas.”

“Did you tell them about your concerns?” Natasha has been Clint’s partner for eighteen months, so she thinks she knows him well. She’s still not used to having a partner, but he’s the only one at SHIELD who doesn’t look at her with suspicion, like she’s going to blow the place up at any minute (not that she would).

“Brought it up with Coulson. He was less than pleased with my concerns.”

“I’ll bet.” Natasha changes topics so she doesn’t have to think about his faith in her. It’s unfounded faith that she doesn’t deserve. “How are we playing the party tonight?”


	12. Cracking

_CRACKING: Illegally gaining entry to a computer or computer network in order to do harm._

Natasha sits down at the computer, while Clint stands guard. Getting into the party was easy enough, and they had simply acted like a drunk couple looking for privacy while entering the target’s home office. SHIELD had done an excellent job with their covers. She and Clint are posing as a couple who are prospective new clients of the man they’re getting information from. Their target’s a budding arms dealer with a side business in human trafficking. SHIELD found out about him, and wants to take him down, which is why they’re here. Natasha’s job is to access his computer system and take any information of value.

As she runs through the codes to access the computer’s hard drive, she thinks about this mission. She knows it’s the first mission she and Clint have been sent on solo, and her only thought is that it was about time. Clint had mentioned to her earlier in the safe house that he had thought she should have been off probation earlier, and she’d privately agreed. If she’d really wanted to destroy SHIELD, she could’ve done so without having a job in the organization.

For now, it’s time to focus on the mission.


End file.
